


the perfect gift

by funkyspacegirlfriend



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Powers, Alternate Universe - Office, M/M, Secret Santa
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-16
Updated: 2020-02-16
Packaged: 2021-02-28 03:20:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,770
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22746940
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/funkyspacegirlfriend/pseuds/funkyspacegirlfriend
Summary: Peter has a huge crush on Tony in IT. The office Secret Santa could be the perfect opportunity to finally do something about it.
Relationships: Peter Parker/Tony Stark
Comments: 10
Kudos: 95
Collections: Marvel(ous)Universe





	the perfect gift

**Author's Note:**

> This was a Christmas gift I wrote (actually at Christmas, I swear) for readysetstarker on tumblr

“Pepper’s got the Secret Santa hat.” **  
**

Peter’s head popped up over the wall of his cubicle, confirming Ned’s statement when he spotted the redhead halfway across the office with a black bowler hat in her hand. This was his first Christmas with the company, but Ned had explained to him all about the Secret Santa. And even though Peter had only been here six months, he already knew exactly who he wanted to get.

The two young men watched Pepper move from cubicle to cubicle, holding out the hat so everyone could pull out a piece of paper. There were different reactions scattered around the office as each person picked a name, from disappointed pouts to slightly evil, calculated grins. As she got closer, Peter could see that each paper had the name and the department of the gifter, probably for people like him who were newer and didn’t quite know everyone in the small company yet. But if he got his wish, all of that information would be irrelevant.

When the pretty redhead finally stopped at his desk, she smiled down at him and held out the hat. “Alright Parker, your turn.” Taking a deep breath, Peter closed his eyes and fished around for a second, then said a quick prayer and wrapped his fingers around a slip of paper. He pulled it out and kept it tucked into his fist, thanking Pepper quietly, who winked at him as she moved onto Ned.

It wasn’t until she walked away that he slowly opened his fingers to stare at the plain, folded up square of paper. Peter carefully picked it up and unfolded it, the entire time silently chanting _please let it be him, please let it be him, please let it be-_

This must be what a Christmas miracle felt like. Peter stared down at the paper, eyes wide, as a grin rapidly spread across his face. He spun around in his chair, grinning like a fool with both fists in the air. Next door, Ned was just leaning around the cubicle wall. “Hey, Peter, did you get-” But his question was easily answered by the excitement written all over his friend’s face. And it was confirmed when Peter stopped spinning to hold out the slip of paper.

**Tony Stark, IT**

Ned, being just as much of a dork as Peter, jumped out of his chair to grab Peter’s hands and jump a little in excitement. “Dude, you got him! Oh, and you can use this as an excuse to finally ask him out.”

Peter’s excitement turned to fear like someone had flipped a switch. “Ned, no. I absolutely can _not_ do that!” But the other man just rolled his eyes, still smiling. “Sure you can. Oh! Get him a funny gift and then put, like, a coupon in it for a free home cooked meal! You’ve seen the way that guy eats, and you’re a crazy good cook!” Leave it to Ned to be the cute, romantic type.

And as much as the idea of asking Tony out terrified him, Peter knew deep down that Ned was right. This would be the perfect chance for him to take the leap. If Tony turned him down, he could always quit and move out of state. That wouldn’t be overdramatic, right? “Ok, you’re right. I’m gonna do it.” When he looked up at Ned, his friend actually looked a little surprised. “Wait, I’m right? So you’re gonna do it? Way to go, Pete!” He clapped a hand on Peter’s shoulder, and then sat back down at his desk.

Peter turned back to his computer, set on finding the perfect gift for Tony. He knew MJ would (probably) help him with the personal aspect, but he wanted to find something fun that would make the older man smile. That’s all Tony had been doing since that very first phone call during Peter’s first month of work, making the younger man smile and laugh over and over.

_“IT, Tony speaking. How can I help?”_

_“Hi, uh. This is Peter. Parker. Peter Parker. In marketing. My computer is doing something wonky?”_

_There’s a warm, deep chuckle that makes Peter melt a little inside. “Well, Peter Parker in marketing, I’m assuming you’re new?”_

_“Yeah, I’ve only been here a couple weeks.”  
_

_“New hires usually get the older rigs, no sense giving a newbie something shiny and new until they’re sure you’re going to stick. Marketing has a bit of a high turnover rate.”  
_

_“What am I supposed to do? I can’t do my work like this!”_

_“Easy, kid. You’re gonna explain the problem, and I’m gonna walk you through a fix. I promise I’ll get you back up and running in no time.”_

_“Sorry, I just.. need this job. I want this job to work out.”_

_“No harm, no foul, Pete. I think you’re gonna do just fine.”_

Tony had spent the rest of the conversation teasing and wheedling Peter while they worked through a fix on his ancient computer, and by the time they were done, the younger man had felt calmer and lighter than he had in weeks. And every call between them that came after followed the same pattern: Peter would explain the newest problem, and Tony would tease and joke his way through the fix. It wasn’t until the younger man made it through his ninety day probation period that they actually met in person.

And Peter had nearly died when the man with salt and pepper hair and gorgeous brown eyes introduced himself as Tony when he brought up a brand new computer to replace the dinosaur Peter had been working with.

Since that initial meeting, what had started out as a crush on a faceless voice became what Ned liked to call an “adorable obsession.” And his friend had been pushing Peter to ask Tony out for months. But he had never been able to work up the courage. Until now.

The whole Secret Santa confession needed to be perfect. And that required the perfect gift. Something that would make Tony laugh, because Peter wanted to wrap himself in that laugh and roll around in it. And there must have been Christmas magic on his side, because it didn’t take long for him to stumble on the exact right thing, a [COFFEE MUG](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.zazzle.com%2Fcoffee_is_a_vegetable_mug-168399333139618519%3Frf%3D238840279726397180%26tc%3DCj0KCQiA89zvBRDoARIsAOIePbDilDj8g0HTi2GLnYJ1nonC1UkW6xyy5BSe9ljGJ8qhdwZktTrfZ64aAhAfEALw_wcB%26utm_source%3Dgoogle%26utm_medium%3Dcpc%26utm_campaign%3Dus_shopping%26utm_term%3Dz168399333139618519%26ca_chid%3D2001810%26ca_source%3Dgaw%26ca_ace%3D%26ca_nw%3Dg%26ca_dev%3Dc%26ca_pl%3D%26ca_pos%3D1o1%26ca_cid%3D381077449563%26ca_agid%3D77510933683%26ca_caid%3D6483200069%26ca_adid%3D381077449563%26ca_kwt%3D%26ca_mt%3D%26ca_fid%3D%26ca_tid%3Dpla-540350907559%26ca_lp%3D9016209%26ca_li%3D%26ca_devm%3D%26ca_plt%3D%26gclsrc%3Daw.ds%26gclid%3DCj0KCQiA89zvBRDoARIsAOIePbDilDj8g0HTi2GLnYJ1nonC1UkW6xyy5BSe9ljGJ8qhdwZktTrfZ64aAhAfEALw_wcB&t=OWY2MWY4NmUxMWU0NTVhNTA4ZTljOTBjMGM5YjdjNDkyY2ZlZWVkNixGUGV3eTVpMg%3D%3D&b=t%3AgzKirj6jCfj-omGihB9dBw&p=https%3A%2F%2Fsweeterstarker.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F189829260589%2Fthis-is-a-gift-fic-for-readysetstarker-because&m=1) that reminded Peter of one of his favorite, and more hilarious, conversations with Tony.

_“Tony, exactly how much coffee have you had? Because you aren’t making any sense.”_

_“Coffee comes from beans, Peter. And do you know what beans are? Vegetables! So I’m just trying to get in my daily recommended servings of veggies.”_

With his gift purchased, and the package itself personalized and wrapped with MJ’s help, it was agonizing to wait the couple of weeks still left until the company Christmas party. By the time the day arrived, Peter had nearly worked himself into a panic, making himself crazy wondering if he could really go through with it. Ultimately, he knew he would never hear the end of it from his friends if he chickened out now.

He waited until the party was in full swing, and everyone else had exchanged gifts, before approaching Tony with his own. His heart flipped over as the older man’s face seemed to light up at the sight of him. “Peter! I hadn’t seen you, so I was worried you hadn’t made it.” Blushing, Peter held out his gift, watching Tony’s eyes widen as he took it. “Merry Christmas, Tony.”

Tony grinned, and winked at Peter. “So you were the unlucky one who got stuck with me this year, huh?” As he started to unwrap the present, Peter shook his head. “Actually, I was um.. really excited when I pulled your name.” Surprised brown eyes met his own nervous gaze, and Tony’s cheeky grin softened into something sweeter. And then he laughed as he pulled out the mug and read what was printed on the side.

Peter’s nerves doubled when Tony spotted the slip of paper tucked inside the mug. This was it, the moment that determined whether he would have to leave the state and change his name or not. Oh god, he couldn’t look at Tony’s face, didn’t want to see the reaction as he read it.

“Peter.. is this.. um, is this.. are you offering to cook me dinner as.. as a date?”

Peter still couldn’t meet Tony’s eyes, nervously twisting his fingers together as he stared down at their shoes. “It.. it doesn’t have to be. I just, I know what your eating habits are like, and you deserve a home cooked meal once in a while, and I’m actually a really good cook, so it would be really good and-”

The sound of that deep, warm laugh that Peter had fallen a little bit in love with during that first call halted his rambling, and when he looked up, that soft smile was still on Tony’s face. “You know, I nearly choked on my own tongue when I saw you the first time, you were so damn cute.“ Peter’s eyes grew comically wide. "Are you.. seriously? Me!?” Tony laughed again. “Yeah, you. And I thought surely there was no way you’d be interested in an old guy like me.” Without thinking, Peter reached out to grip Tony’s hand in his. “Tony, you’re not old! Honestly, the silver really works for me.”

Tony’s smile grew, and he didn’t let go of Peter’s hand as he stepped closer. “That so?” Before he could respond, Peter felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. He slipped it out, clicking it on just long enough to see a text from Ned that said _look up!_ Peter looked across the room at Ned giving him two thumbs up, then glanced up, eyes widening when he saw the mistletoe hanging perfectly above their heads. When he looked back at Tony, the older man shrugged, smile turning just a little bit heated. “Well, we can’t break a Christmas tradition, now can we?”

The hand not holding onto Peter’s came up to curl around the back of his neck, and then Tony’s lips were on his and Peter lit up like a Christmas tree. He swayed closer, fingers tightening around Tony’s. The kiss was better than anything he could have ever imagined, and no other gift he got this year would compare. 

When Tony pulled back, Peter’s eyes remained closed, and he didn’t even care about how dopey he probably looked. He had gotten everything he wished for this Christmas.

“Hey Peter, in case you were still wondering? That’s a yes.”


End file.
